Art of building subways.



No. 654,426. Patented luly 24, |900.

W. DE H. WASHINGFLM. ART 0F BUlLDlNG SUBWAYS.

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ABT 0F BUILDING SUBWAYS.

(Application filed Max'. 23, 1899.)

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Patented luly 24, |900.

W. DE H. WASHINGTON.

ART 0F BUILDING SUBWAYS.

(Application led Mar. 23l 1899.)

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4WILLIAM DE I-I. WASHINGTON, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

ART oF BUILDING suswAYs.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 654,426, dated July 24,1900.`

Application tiled March 2 3, 1 89 9.

To alt whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM-DE H. WASH- INGTON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at New York,in thecounty of New York and State of NewYork, have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in the Art ofBuilding Subways, dre., of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

The inventionconsists in an improvement in the art of building subwaysor other similar excavations or subterraneous work.

The invention as herein outlined particularly relates to building asubway under a street upon which there is traffic; and it consists inthe method of performing the work and in the means employed, so that thework may go on with the least possible interruption to the traffic, aswill be more fully hereinafter described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is asectional perspective view showing themanner of sinking the sheet-piling preparatory to laying the side walls.Fig. 2 is a section showing the piling' sunk and the trench formed readyfor the wall. Fig. 3 is a section through the roadway, showing on theleft hand the side wall sunk and on the right hand the temporary roadwayin position. Fig. et is a section showing the permanent roof in positionand excavation under way. Fig. 5 is a section showing the subwaycomplete, and Fig. 6 isa diagram plan illustrating means for drainingthe work during trenching or tunneling. Fig. 7 is a diagram sectionillustrating the arrangement ofthe drainage-wells.

In constructing a subway on a street in which there is traffic I proposefirst to complete the side walls without disturbing the street beyondthat part necessary for building such walls, and to do this without thedanger of caving in, which exists in the digging of deep and narrowtrenches and without the necessity of digging out the entire street.

I proceed first to drive sheet-piling A A in parallel courses separateda width equal to the wid thf of the side walls of the completestructure. This sheet-pilingl prefer to drive by hydraulic means, asfollows: I build up the sheet-piling in sections, as shown in Fig. l,and apply to each section at the foot a sain No. 710,202. (no model.)

hollow pointed shoe B, having discharge-j ets, such aso., therefrom, andI connect into this shoe one or more pipes O, which connect with asource `ofwater-supply, such as the pump D. I then dig a shallow trenchof sufficient depth to' stand the piling upright, as shown in Fig. 1 atthe right hand. y.The water is then forced through the pipe i or pipesO, through the shoe B, and being .discharged therefrom will dig out` theearth below the piling and allow the same to sink. This sinking may beaided by pressure or by weight, such as E,.applied while the water isbeing discharged. Y

In the drawings I have shown the sheetpiling A' driven to vthe depthdesired, while the sheet-piling A is just in the act of being sunk.- Idrive this sheet-piling a consider-L able distance below the point atwhich the foundation is to stand, so that it acts to prevent the inow ofwater from the side and also acts to support the base of thesheet-piling when the trench is formed between the two sections, asshown in Fig. 2. This figure shows 'the two sections of sheet-piling inposition with the trench F of the desired depth for a foundation, andsuitable braces, such asG, for the upper part of the piling. The mannerof sinking this sheet-piling I do not herein claim, as VI make that thesubjectmatter of a concurrently-pending application, Serial No. 660,990.When the sheetpilingis driven upon one or both sides of the street andtheA trench F is formed, I then build in this trench the foundation ofbrick or stone work, as shown at the left hand in Fig. 3. It is obviousthat in laying these side walls in this manner the traffic in the streetneed not be seriously or at all impeded. I next remove the roadway to aslight depth and replace it with a temporary roadway II, and as this maybe done in sections, one side of the street or one short section of thestreet ata time, and as traffic can go on over the temporary roadway assoon as'it is laid, it is evident that but a short interruption willbenecessary. In laying this temporary roadway I may lay in position at thesame time the cross-girders Lwhich are to form the roof-girders of thesubway. I may lay those girders under the temporary roadway and completethe rough skeleton structure thereunder.

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This being done, the pavement may be replaced and the excavation go onbeneath either the permanent or temporary roadway, as desired, as shownin Fig. 4, where I have shown a section of the street with walls onopposite sides, the permanent roof in position, and the permanentroadway replaced, the excavation being in progress. The excavation maybe continued now without danger to the side walls, as they are tiedtogether at the top by the roof, and the only necessary indication ofthe activity beneath Will be at that point Where the material is drawnup from the excavation below.

Fig. 5 shows the subway complete. In building such subways it happens attimes that the excavation would go into places where there is.considerable water, or it may even go into places beneath thewater-level, so that the work would be much impeded by the Water ifmeans were not provided for drawing it away. To drain the excavation,

(in advance of the excavation in this or similar work,) I may eitherattach suction-pipes to the pipes C, which connect to the shoes B inadvance of or adjacent to the excavation, or I may and preferably dosink a series of drive-wells of any known or usual construction, asindicated at I in Fig. 6, and connect these drive-wells with the suctionapparatus, 3o

such as the pump indicated in diagram at K, drawing the Water from apoint below the excavation and maintaining it below that point at alltimes and in advance of the work. In Fig. 7 I have indicated in a simplediagram section a pair of these wells and the connecting-pipes, showingthem arranged slightly in advance of the excavation. I believe this isan entirely new departure in excavationthat is, to sink wells adjacentto the trench, subway, or other excavation, so as not to interfere inany waytherewith and by suitable pumps or suction devices maintain thewaterlevel in the strata in which the excavation is being done below thelevel at which the work is being carried on.

What I claim as my invention is In a subway, the side walls, sheathingon both sides thereof and extending a-considerable distance below thebottom thereof, to form in effect a dam below the walls. l In testimonywhereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM DE H. WASHINGTON.

Witnesses:

SAML. WORTHINGTON, JULIAN E. INGLE, Jr.

